Cast shadows are different than object shadows. Here are a few concepts and strategies to help you draw shadows on the ground or cast across other objects. Learn to make bug shadows and shadows beneath found objects in your nature journal.
Category: Drawing Insects
Tips, tricks, and techniques to help you observe and draw insects.
How to Draw a Shiny Beetle (video)
Carolyn found a shiny water beetle near our house. When I painted it I got a rather dull looking drawing. In this video, I rework the sketch to make it look glossy. The trick is punching up the contrast. Please excuse problems with the sound sync on this video. I was able to correct most
Spider anatomy for artists
Fall is here and it is time to draw spiders. In this season female spiders have reached their full size and are ready to mate. Their webs are easily seen in the morning dew. Understanding how the body is put together will help you draw what you see with greater ease. As in insects, the body
How to draw a dragonfly: Flame Skimmer
Learn how to draw the transparent wings of a dragonfly in this step-by-step demonstration. Drawing glossy transparent wings is challenging. By using this bag of tricks you will be able to suggest transparency in your drawings. Here are points to consider. Lines should be lighter when seen through the transparent membrane. Use less detail on
Drawing foreshortened insects: Seven-spotted Ladybug
Learn how to draw a foreshortened ladybug in a step-by-step demonstration. Drawing insects from the top view is useful for identification but may lack dynamic interest. Three quarter views of insects show the height and form in ways you can not show from above. Visualizing the way that straight lines wrap around rounded forms is
How do straight lines curve on a rounded surface?
Straight lines appear to curve on a rounded surface. Practice seeing and drawing these lines will greatly improve your ability to draw what you see. Print out the latitude and longitude lines in the figure at the right. Trace over these lines about ten times then draw them free hand. As you trace, do not just
How to Draw Insects (video workshop)
Insects are a delight to study and observe. Learn the basics of insect illustration in this video workshop. This workshop introduces you to the basics of how to draw insects including anatomy, the most common mistakes made by artists drawing insects, the eight most common orders of insects, and details to watch for as you
How to Draw Insects: Understanding and Drawing the Legs (part 2)
The most common mistake people make in insect drawings. [B]efore you read any further, stop and choose which one of these two beetles has the correct leg attachment. Don’t feel badly if you guess this one wrong. It is a very common mistake. This is where a little knowledge gets us into trouble. We know that the
How to Draw Insects: Understanding and Drawing the Legs (part 1)
One of the hardest things about how to draw insects is getting the legs right. This is a place where a little bit of study in advance will really pay off. But this is also a place where a little bit of information can get you into trouble. A careful analysis of insect leg anatomy
How to draw insects: shiny vs. dull textures
Capturing the roundness and sheen of insect bodies is an important part of learning how to draw insects. The secret is in the amount of contrast between light and dark and the abruptness of transition between highlight and shadow. Here we explore how to draw an insect that looks rounded but dull and what to change